The invention relates generally to tools for musical instruments and particularly to a combination drum tuning and cymbal holding tool.
Among the musical instruments that can trace their history furthest back are the percussion instruments. The most familar of the percussion instruments are drums and cymbals, instruments that have taken many forms over the years. Percussion instruments are used in symphony orchestras to play classical music, as well as in small musical groups and bands to play popular music.
The typical unit of percussion instruments for musical groups or bands is a compact arrangement of several drums and cymbals. The cymbals are often arranged on stands where they can be manipulated by drum sticks or brushes, or by foot pedals. Typically a cymbal is secured to the supporting stand by a wing nut threaded onto the threaded tip of the stand that projects through a hole in the cymbal. The nut is not a permanent fixture on the stand, but is removed for disassembly and storage of the cymbal and stand. It is usually kept with the disassembled unit and used again when the unit is reassembled.
Most drums in a percussion unit are tuned, by varying the drum head tension to have an effect on the sound produced. The drum head is attached to a ring that is connected in several places to tightening screws that in turn are threadedly connected to mountings on the drum body. Turning these screws varies the tension of the drum head and turning the screws at different locations on the ring has different effects on the sound produced on the drum. Occassionally each screw has a turning handle of its own. But more often, because of the number of tuning screws on a drum, perhaps a dozen or more, the tuning screws end in a square-shaped head with which a tuning key is used. The tuning key has a square-shaped hole to match the square-shaped cross section of the tuning screw head. The tuning key is slid on the turning screw head, the screw is turned, and the key is removed.
The tuning key is small and portable; it can easily be lost. Keeping the tuning key available can be a serious problem. The key can of course be attached in some way to the instrument, but then it has to be released in order to use it. It can also detract from the appearance of the instrument to which it is attached, or at least require elaborate efforts to make its attachment to the drum simple and attractive.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a tuning key that need not be attached to a drum but is readily available for use.
It is another object of the invention to provide as a drum tuning key some tool that may ordinarily be kept with another percussion instrument in the vicinity of the drum.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a combination drum tuning key and cymbal holder.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a combination tool for tuning drums and securing cymbals that is attractive, inexpensive to make, and easy to use and maintain.